The Eyes Have It

This is the time of year when routine doctor appointments pop up like whack-a-moles.

Maybe it's because I try to schedule them when there's not 10 inches of snow outside. Also, the appointments take me away from work, and it's nice to be out and about in the warm weather. And yes, it's a little sad when you'd rather have someone poking around your innards than be at work.

In any case, this week's winner was the eye doctor. Well, not him specifically. Once a year I have to go to his office for two procedures. In the first, the technician takes a picture of my optic nerve. (I've been tempted to ask her if I can have one to post on Facebook.) For the other test, I sit in front of  screen with a patch over one eye (arrrrr) and a clicker in my right hand, force myself to stare straight ahead, and click every time time I see a spot of light. (Come to think of it, a photo in this get-up might be the better Facebook play.)

While enduring these procedures is annoying, it's a good sight better than no sight at all. So, I stare straight ahead, refrain from blinking and click when necessary.

If I'm lucky, I'll never get glaucoma. Cataracts, on the other hand, are unavoidable. The cool thing is, I live in an age where the doctor can make pictures of my optic nerve and know exactly what's going on inside my head. Scary for him, maybe. But a blessing for me.

As I type this, I look up through the glasses that keep the world in sharp focus. And, although I'm a Luddite at heart, I take a moment to appreciate the modern world and all of its wonders.

Well, maybe not ALL of its wonders. (Do we really need an Apple Watch?) But the medical variety can be pretty amazing.